How Mentoring Supports Essay Example for Free

How Mentoring Supports Essay Mentoring is probably as old as humanity. Though we cannot exactly trace its beginnings, we can however, see its effects on different prominent personalities in our histories and in both our fiction and non-fiction stories. It is said that behind every wise and great man is a mentor that share with him the basic knowledge and information during his formative years which eventually flourish in to a deeply rooted wisdom and intelligence. Thus, on this premise, we can say that mentoring plays a crucial and very important role in our lives but what really is mentoring? Mentoring is when a role model or a mentor who has more knowledge and experience offers support to another person who is called the mentee or the protege (McBrien, J. L. , Brandt, R. S. 1997: 64). It is a process which supports learning and development of another person; more specifically it is a one on one meeting to support the learner in their desire to improve their personal situation in life (Marslow P. , Wray M. 2000: 81-82). Scholarly interest on the role of mentoring in adult development is often traced to Levinson’s seminal study of human development which he found to be dominantly affected or influenced greatly by mentors. A mentor therefore is often described as a guide, a counselor and developer of skills who facilitates the realization of a dream, of a vision that one has of the sort of life he wants (Allen, T. ,Eby, L. T 2007: 8-10). A successful mentor however, is not made overnight, just like any beginners, a mentor also, once in his life, also becomes a mentee or the protege. A common example of this is a novice teacher. There’s a common notion that teachers are always the mentors, always the one who counsel, always the one who guide another person, but a closer look into reality will let us know that teachers themselves in educational institutions needs also to be mentored in order to be effective and even survived their profession. It is often said that student achievement and the effectiveness of a school in training students is linked to the quality of teachers that such educational institutions employ. Thus, guidance and development through mentoring finds its ways as a very important tool in developing educators especially the beginning or novice teachers. Mentoring movement for beginning teachers are said to be guided with two school of thoughts, to wit: the first one is the idea that beginning teachers are at risk in terms of their career and personal development in the profession. Thus, unless timely support is provided, many beginning teachers will face difficulty in settling down, becoming disenchanted and some may even leave teaching altogether (Ginns, et al. 2001). The second school of thought pertains to the ongoing capacity building as an important feature of any learning community where a continuous reflection-in-action, performance feedback and improvement should form an integral protocol for all teachers as professionals (DET Induction of Teachers 2001). This school of thoughts may indeed differ in their principles and idea but it has one similar aim, that is, to support the beginning or the novice teachers in their profession as educators. To be more particular on how mentoring can support the professional learning of the teachers, it is proper to discuss all aspects which mentoring can have a great effect, to wit: the personal development, emotional and psychological development, social development and career development. Mentoring can greatly effect the personal development of a beginning teacher inasmuch as the mentor will make the beginning teachers build his or her principles in the profession as well as his beliefs, capabilities and aspiration. Mentoring encourage development of self-awareness by showing how self assessment can help in his or her personal development. A novice teacher will often feel lost in his or her first year in the profession, thus making the novice teacher feel uneasy in showing and expressing his beliefs, his ideas or if his abilities will match the requirements of the teaching profession. This kind of doubting behavior as to himself and as to his principles and beliefs will more often than not lead to a shallow and empty dark hall of self doubt which of course will not help the beginning teacher to grow and be developed. Here is where mentoring should come in. In this stage, a mentor through his advice, company and simply his listening skills will make the novice teacher to develop self-confirmation and self-confidence as well as his confidence to express and stand on his or her beliefs. It is worthy taking note to that saying that the higher level of confidence, awareness and self-esteem will more often results to a higher learner’s motivation to seize learning opportunities and to take responsibilities for improving their levels of excellence and performance. In terms of emotional and psychological development, mentoring can help the beginning teachers adapt and adjust their feelings and attitude towards his or her new environment. Beside the new environment that confronts the novice teacher, the everyday dilemma and uncertainties will surely frustrate any beginning teachers. With the limited experience and practical knowledge to drag on, the novice teacher often feels uncertain and at the same time overwhelmed. Clearly, providing support to beginning teachers is better than letting them sink or swim on their own. Studies of teacher attrition show that without support, new teachers will more likely to leave teaching. Mentoring in answering this type of problem associated with the psychological and emotional being of the novice teacher will play a â€Å"form of therapeutic guidance† (Scherer : pp. 4-8). Mentoring the novice teacher through giving on-the spot advices on times which they are considered vulnerable will amounts to a good counseling where the mentor addresses issues like stress, everyday workplace dilemma and even frustrations that may build along the way. Battling these emotional and psychological struggles through support from a mentor is very important in the formative years of the beginning teachers as this will help decide the latter from deciding whether to stick in the profession or just leave it altogether. Mentoring also contributes to the social development of the beginning teachers. Beginning teachers often find themselves alone in the new environment and if state like this continuous to go on in the whole career of the novice teacher, more often than not, the said teacher will find himself withdrawn in the society. Thus, mentoring will help the novice teacher develops his inter-personal skills. Building rapport and friendship are considered important traits of an educator as he is constantly reaching and interacting either with his students and even his or her co-teachers. Mentoring therefore will promote friendship between the beginning teacher and the mentor and subsequently to the whole faculty where he or she can interact and exchange ideas with his colleagues. In the book authored by Stephen Gordon, How to help Beginning Teachers Succeed, it was said that the most significant force in their experience was the peer and support of their mentor. The said peer or support was typically rated as highly influential early in the formative years and increasingly influential as the years progressed (20-21). Thus, the support rendered in during the formative years of the beginning teacher is the most important factor in the development of the career of the novice teacher as this instilled support will always served as a post or a mark in their road to professional growth. Laslty, mentoring is a tool in the development of the novice teacher’s career. It is settled that mentoring involves a relationship between a less experience individual or the protege and the more experience person or the mentor where the primary purpose is the professional growth and development of the protege. Considering that the main purpose of mentoring is for growth and development, it will therefore be a tool which will prepare the novice teacher for career advancement. It is for this reason that mentoring is often referred to as the indoctrination of the novice teacher in the professional field of teaching and this relationship, in itself can have profound effects of these beginning teachers to have a clear and realistic picture of his or her professional identity and career plans. Because mentors are often more experienced in the field of teaching and thus, equipped with more knowledge and wisdom, mentoring can therefore be an effective tool in the transmission of distilled wisdom from one generation to another (Bhindi 2003) After all, it is said that great learning and wisdom are not always written in the text books, first hand experience and theories that have been tested by the mentors are the greatest learning that a beginning teacher will have in his or her professional career. Mentoring therefore may be considered as interactive cycle of learning, affirming, renewing, creating and transforming knowledge experience and expertise. It is now settled that a novice teacher needs mentoring in their formative years of their career. The contributions and effects of mentoring not only shows advantages that can be present in the short span of time but rather, mentoring is showing more advantages that can be seen for an even longer period of time. It is during this mentoring stage where the novice teacher determines his capacities, his knowledge and abilities which he will now pass to the younger generation through his teaching profession. As earlier stated, the quality of education is determined to the quality of teachers an educational institution employs, thus, mentoring therefore should not be taken for granted or taken lightly because it is through proper mentoring that will determine the quality of education our future children will have. List of References Bindhi, N. 2003 Study Guide EDGL 919 Mentoring Beginning Teachers, University of Wallongong. Ginns, I. , Heirdsfield, A. Atneh, B. and Waters J. J 2001 Beginning Teachers Becoming Professional Tthrough ActionResearch, Educational Action Research, Volume 9. Gordon, S. How to help Beginning Teachers Succeed, Second Edition, pp. 20-21. NWS Department of Education and Training (DET) 2001 Induction of Teachers – Module 21: Working as a Mentor. McBrien, J. L. , Brandt, R. S. 1997 The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education Terms, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, p. 64. Parslow P. , Wray, M. 2000 Coaching and Mentoring, Kogan Page, pp. 81-82. Scherer, M. 1999 A Better Beginning: Supporting and Mentoring New Teachers ACSD, p. 4-8.

Cell Phone Use :: Technology Essays

Cell Phone Use With technology on the rise, an important issue of social interaction and communication has risen with it. Many people have become heavily dependent on technology, unable to make it through a normal day without it. Granted, technology has provided society with many beneficial inventions, and for that we are grateful; yet, the sense of community that once resided around our homes has seemed to have all but diminished. For every branch of expansion this new technology â€Å"tree† grows, a new root ensnaring society grows with it, causing us to become ever more dependent on technology. I have found that many people are oblivious to the clear cause and affect system that is inseparable from growing technology. Being a student at a Public University, I have noticed an increasing amount of students who talk on their cell phones between classes. It has gone unnoticed that this limits the amount of interaction among students on the campus. With people ranting all over the media about what great opportunities technology provides to reach those across the globe, I began to wonder if technology was actually holding a positive effect of society. I wanted to find out how others viewed the situation. I decided that a good way for this to be done was by survey. In conducting this survey, I chose to question twenty random students at James Madison University. The survey was given at the on campus food court, PC Dukes. Its purpose was to investigate the topic of cells phones, attempting to discover whether cell phones expand our everyday life or if they constrict us to our own individual world. While eighteen students of the twenty surveyed felt cell phones actually do expand their life, a more in depth look was necessary. Other questions on the survey (questions four, five, six, and nine) contradicted this statement. For example, ten students who found their life to be expanded felt that they would be more socially active if they did not have cell phones. To me, this shows that cell phones keep people from reaching out and meeting new friends. I feel this is largely due to the fact that with cell phones, people are extremely easy to get in touch with. By having this luxury, a small group of friends can stay closer and more sociable with each other rather than keeping a large group of friends.

Discuss the Major Outcomes of Financial Intermediation Essay

Financial Intermediation is referred to as an institution that acts as a ‘middleman’ per say between investors and firms raising funds (also known as financial institutions). These are firms such as chartered banks, insurance companies, investment dealers and pension funds. Matthews and Thompson (2008) pp.35–36 show that financial intermediaries can be established by four qualities: †¢ Their main category of liabilities (deposits) are specified for a fixed sum which is not related to the performance of a portfolio †¢ The deposits are typically short-term and of a much shorter term than their assets †¢ A high proportion of their liabilities are chequeable (can be withdrawn on demand) †¢ Their liabilities and assets are largely not transferable. There are exceptions such as certificates of deposit and securitisation (see Chapter 6 of this subject guide). Financial Intermediaries have a huge effect on the economy. Without such institutions firms may be unable to fund their day-to-day business activities which will put a lot of pressure on these said activities and may reduce production as a whole. If this happens it will have negative effects on the economy and may lead to a recession (depending on how big the firm is). An example of this can be taken from the beginning of the recession we have recently experienced which began in roughly 2007 ‘Credit Crunch’. The financial intermediaries in this case banks, were accepting most mortgage applications without thoroughly checking that the consumer could re-pay the funds. This act led to a huge negative outcome. It is important to distinguish between banks as financial intermediaries (who accept deposits and make loans directly to borrowers) and non-bank financial intermediaries who lend via the purchase of securities. The latter category includes insurance companies, pension funds and investment trusts who purchase securities, thus providing capital indirectly rather than making loans The passing of bad loans to individuals that are unable to pay will lead to damaging outcomes for the economy. If there is a substantial loan an individual has to pay off and their interest rate is ridiculously high, it will cause them to stop spending, leading to falls in other aspects of the market. On the other hand, financial intermediaries provide loans more freely than any other direct finance and they also provide a means to fund large operations of which a potential upcoming firm cannot fund from its personal capital. The dominance over direct finance is due to transaction costs (Benston and Smith, 1976), liquidity insurance (Diamond and Dybvig, 1983)and information sharing. As the transaction costs are likely to be less via such intermediaries they are a preffered financing method. Actions of financial intermediaries can have both positive and negative outcomes on the economy as they play a major role in the funding of all businesses. Without such intermediations the GDP of, say, the United Kingdom would decrease significantly as production would be reduced due to the lack of finances. References Financial Intermediation: NewYorkFed (Unknown) Hedge Funds, Financial Intermediation, and Systemic Ris, [Online] newyorkfed Available http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/epr/07v13n3/0712kamb.pdf Bhattacharya, S. and A.V. Thakor ‘Contemporary banking theory’, Journal of Financial Intermediation, 3(1) 1993, pp.2–50; Sections 1, 2, and 7 Diamond, D.W. ‘Financial intermediation as delegated monitoring: A simple example’, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Economic Quarterly, 82(3) 1996, pp.51–66 Saunders and Cornett (2006) Chapter 1, pp.2–10, 15–21 Matthews and Thompson (2008) Chapter 3

The Effects Of Violent Media On Children - 952 Words

When it comes to the topic of violent media being beneficial for kids, most of us will readily agree that there is an ongoing debate on whether or not children should be exposed to violence. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether violent media can help children express their rage and other feelings that they are taught to deny. Whereas some are convinced that exposure to juvenile violence in the media is harmful to children, others maintain that it can help them meet their emotional and developmental needs. In my view, however, I believe that violent media can benefit children in many ways. A controversial new study conducted in Singapore suggests â€Å"children who play violent video games may experience an increase in aggressive thoughts, which in turn, could boost their aggressive behavior† (Do Violent Video Games Boost Aggression?†). My own view, however, is that video games where a child is the hero, fights crime, and saves people can help them feel better about themselves. Melanie Moore, a psychologist, states, children need violent entertainment in order to explore the inescapable feelings that they ve been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient selfhood (â€Å"Violent Media Is Good for Kids†). Pretending to be a superhero and defeating the â€Å"bad guys† or villains in a video game can help children overcome the feelings of powerlessness that come with being so young and small. ThisShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children975 Words   |  4 PagesIn discussions of violet media on children, one controversial issue has been that violent media effects children in a negative way. On the one hand violet media causes children to build up aggression and are at risk to be more criminally active as adults. My own view, is some people blame violent media for children’s aggression but media provides knowledge of what the content contains, to caution viewers from violent action. Violet media can also be beneficial to children, it causes them to expressRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children971 Words   |  4 PagesIn discussions of violent media on children, one controversial issue has been that violent media effects children in a negative way. On the one hand violent media causes children to build up aggression, and are at risk to be more criminally active as adults. My own view, is some people blame violent media for children’s aggression, but media provides knowledge of what the content contains, to caution viewers from vi olent action. Violet media can also be beneficial to children, it causes them to expressRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children901 Words   |  4 PagesIn discussions of violent media, one controversial issue is whether violet media, like videogames, or comic books have a negative or positive effect on kids. On the one hand, some people argue that they enjoy expressing built up anger and emotions through reading comic books. On the other hand, violent media can effect young children and have them think it’s okay to be violent in real life. My own view is violent media does cause kids to have a mindset that killing or violent actions are okay toRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children1813 Words   |  8 PagesEffects of Violent Media on Children With the growth in popularity in films, media has been a major influence in people’s lives. In recent years we see movies and tv shows impacting the way we talk, move, and even think. In recent events, theories on violent behavior have emerged with the belief that media is causing it. The issue becomes even more serious whenâ€Å"...watching violence in the media becomes enjoyable and does not result in the anxious arousal that would be expected from seeing such imageryRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children2635 Words   |  11 Pages4: The Effects of Violent Media Introduction As the internet becomes an essential part of daily life for most of the population, the youth have quickly adopted its usage. The increased availability of television, film, music, and video games has made these forms of entertainment popular choices for young consumers. Along with the increase in media options, media’s depiction of violence has increased as well. Concern over the increased violence in the media has prompted research on its effect of childRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Children And Youth990 Words   |  4 PagesEssentially since media is more violent than ever, and children and youth are getting more attracted to violent media. Studies on violent media shows a clear evidence that violence on media rises the possibility of aggressive behaviors in both short-term and long-term situations (Rowell Huesmann, Moise, Podolski, Eron, 2003). Most researchers agree that aggressive behaviors are more disposed to the harmful impact of violence on media. The ne gative effect is much larger for younger children because theyRead MoreThe Effects of Violent Media on Children, Adolescence, and Adults2656 Words   |  11 PagesThe Effects of Violent Media on Children, Adolescence, and Adults Cheri Burns COM/220 August 17, 2011 Mary McWilliams The Effects of Violent Media on Children, Adolescence, and Adults Violence in every form of media is a part of daily life. Children of all ages all over the world are being affected by violence in one form or another. This paper is focusing on television and gaming that children are engaged in. There have been many studies looking at this problem and ways to prevent childrenRead MoreViolent Media Does Not Have an Effect on Children Essay1974 Words   |  8 Pages Violent media is a prominent part of Americas culture. America is the home to dozens of multimillion dollar industries that specialize in making violent media. This media usually has a rating label on it, categorizing it as being made for young children, teens, or adults. The purpose of this is to protect children from the disturbing and/or violent scenes depicted in the media. Yet, millions of children under the age of 17 still have free access to violent media. However, even though childrenRead MoreViolent Media Is Good For Kids1324 Words   |  6 PagesWhen it comes to the topi c of violent media, some of us would readily agree it’s a controversial subject as to whether kids should or shouldn’t be exposed to it. This is because many children who view violent media react negatively rather than not being affected at all. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what effects does it have on children. Whereas some are convinced that it is a healthy alternative for kids to express themselves, others maintain that it causes kidsRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Media On Aggressive Behavior1590 Words   |  7 Pagescorrlation between violent media and aggressive behaviors in individuals. This paper represents an effort to provide a source for individuals who are interested to gain information on the effect of violent media on aggressive behaviors. Most of the peer-reviewed and scholary articles used in this paper provided conclusions that violent media have multiply harmful affects on individuals especially children. Krahà © and Mà ¶ller (2011) discussed the relationship between usage of violent media and aggressive